Medical Monday: Crepitation

Crepitation is defined as follows: “(1) A crackling sound made in breathing by a person with an inflamed lung, detected using a stethoscope. (2) A dry sound like that of grating the ends of a fractured bone. (3) The sensation felt on placing the hand over the seat of a fracture when the broken ends of the bone are moved, or over tissue in which gas gangrene is present. (4) The noise produced by rubbing bone or irregular cartilage surfaces together, as in arthritis.”